Higher Education Commons^™

President Appoints Council On Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, University Of Maine Alumni Association

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy has appointed a Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to advise campus leadership and report on the University’s efforts and actions to ensure inclusive excellence.

Umaine Names President's Council On Diversity, Equity And Inclusion, Margaret Nagle

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy has appointed a 30-member Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to advise campus leadership and report on institutional efforts and actions to ensure inclusive excellence.

“You’Re Almost In This Place That Doesn’T Exist”: The Impact Of College In Prison As Understood By Formerly Incarcerated Students From The Northeastern United States, Hilary Binda, Jill D. Weinberg, Nora Maetzener, Carolyn Rubin

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

This qualitative study examines the immediate and lasting impact of liberal arts higher education in prison from the perspective of former college-in-prison students from the Northeastern United States. Findings obtained through semi-structured interviews with formerly incarcerated people are presented in the following three areas: self-confidence and agency, interpersonal relationships, and capacity for civic leadership. This study further examines former students’ reflections on the relationship between education and human transformation and begins to benchmark college programming with attention to the potential for such transformation. The authors identify four characteristics critical to a program’s success: academic rigor, the professor's respect for students, …

Alumni Panelist Presentation On George Floyd, Anti-Black Racism, And #Blacklivesmatter Email, John N. Diamond, Elizabeth Russell

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Email from John N. Diamond, President and Executive Director, University of Maine Alumni Association on the June 11th Alumni presentation on the "Perspective and Experience of Blacks in the U.S". The presentation was titled "George Floyd, Anti-Black Racism, and #BlackLivesMatter". The email states that approximately 1,000 individuals watched the panel discussion live or the online recording.

Mcgillicuddy’S Humanities Center Hosts Guest Lecture On The Racial History Of Free-Verse Poetry, Rebekah Sands

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

On March 4, 2020, Erin J. Kepler, a visiting professor from Tulane University, gave a talk on Native American poetry and innovation of language titled “Mary Austin’s Time Machine: Modernist Poetics and Settler Time.” Introduced by Margo Lukens, the director of the McGillicuddy's Humanities Center, the talk furthered this year’s theme, “Society, Colonization, and Decolonization” by introducing the importance of Native American language regarding our modern perceptions of time and rhythm.

In Our Own Words: Institutional Betrayals, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt

Faculty Publications

When Dr. Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, professor of English at Linfield College, asked a large group of underrepresented faculty members why they left their higher education institutions, they told her the real reasons for their departures — those that climate surveys don't capture.

This essay originally appeared as part of Conditionally Accepted, a career advice blog for Inside Higher Ed providing news, information, personal stories, and resources for scholars who are, at best, conditionally accepted in academe. Conditionally Accepted is an anti-racist, pro-feminist, pro-queer, anti-transphobic, anti-fatphobic, anti-ableist, anti-ageist, anti-classist, and anti-xenophobic online community.

Bsu Working On Diversity, Jeff Teunisen

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Article from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus on the University of Maine's Black Student Union's efforts be a voice for Black students on the University campus.

Gss Votes Race Was Motive In Orono Attack, Damon Kiesow, Kim Dineen

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Article from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus regarding the General Student Senate voting that an attack on two Black students was motivated by race.

Editorial: The Line Between Corporate Allyship And Marketing Shouldn't Be Crossed, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

In the world of allyship for marginalized groups and marketing for companies in America’s cut-throat capitalist economy, where does allyship end and unproductive marketing begin? We are all familiar with the yearly advertising clock: a dedication to new resolutions through the first part of the year that transforms to a focus on plastering American flags all over products for the Fourth of July and finally ending on Christmas decorations and commercials that emerge before Halloween even passes. But movements such as Black History Month and Pride Month have been added to the calendar in the past few decades, opening the …

Center For Community Inclusion And Disability Studies Ucedd Action Plan For People At The Intersection Of Race, Ethnicity & Disability, University Of Maine Center For Community Inclusion And Disability

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Screenshot of an excerpt of the executive summary of the UCEDD Action Plan for People at the Intersection of Race, Ethnicity & Disability.

Foreword: The Dispossessed Majority: Resisting The Second Redemption In América Posfascista (Postfascist America) With Latcrit Scholarship, Community, And Praxis Amidst The Global Pandemic, Sheila I. Velez Martinez

Articles

As LatCrit reaches its twenty-fifth anniversary, we aspire for this symposium Foreword to remind its readers of LatCrit’s foundational propositions and ongoing efforts to cultivate new generations of ethical advocates who can systemically analyze the sociolegal conditions that engender injustice and intervene strategically to help create enduring sociolegal, and cultural, change. Working for lasting social change from an antisubordination perspective enables us to see the myriad laws, regulations, policies, and practices that, by intent or effect, enforce the inferior social status of historically- and contemporarily-oppressed groups. In turn, working with a perspective and principle of antisubordination can inspire us to …

Queering The University: Implementing A Systematic & Organizational Approach To Equity, Brian Moore

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Too often higher education educators take a lackadaisical approach to solutions surrounding negative queer and trans student experiences; however, educators hold an obligation to foster student success, retention, catalyze identity development, and maximize the human potential of queer and trans students. This master’s thesis develops a systematic and organizational approach to achieving an equitable campus for queer and trans student experience through a critical action research proposal. Utilizing my perspective as queer and trans educator and/or student, I will primarily use the philosophical lens of Friere, hooks, Foucault, and queer theory to support my philosophy of education. Theoretical frameworks from …

Local Student Activist Participates In Portland Ice Protests, Leela Stockley

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

In mid-October, it was announced by the city of Portland, Maine that the city would be opening an office to house United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The new office will be located on the fourth floor of One City Center, and officials say that the office will be actively focusing on crimes related to human trafficking, child exploitation, transnational drug trafficking and transnational terrorism rather than illegal immigration and deportation efforts.

University President Statement On Social Media Posts By Umaine College Republicans, Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Robert Q. Dana

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

We are writing to provide the University of Maine position on recent Facebook posts by the UMaine College Republicans on their private Facebook page.

From Cancel Culture To Changing Culture, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

What do big-name celebrities like James Charles, Taylor Swift, James Gunn, Laura Lee, Kayne West, PewDiePie, Roseanne Barr, Shane Gillis, Logan Paul have in common? They have, at one point in their careers, been “canceled.” Hoards of their social media followers took to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to hurl insults and declare the celebrities “canceled.” Each of these celebrities has become the target of cancel culture. But what exactly does that mean? Cancel culture is defined by the holy grail of internet slang, the Urban Dictionary, as a “modern internet phenomenon where a person is ejected from influence or fame …

Numeracy And Social Justice: A Wide, Deep, And Longstanding Intersection, Kira Hamman, Victor Piercey, Samuel L. Tunstall

Numeracy

We discuss the connection between the numeracy and social justice movements both in historical context and in its modern incarnation. The intersection between numeracy and social justice encompasses a wide variety of disciplines and quantitative topics, but within that variety there are important commonalities. We examine the importance of sound quantitative measures for understanding social issues and the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration in this work. Particular reference is made to the papers in the first part of the Numeracy special collection on social justice, which appear in this issue.

Social Media Activism The Subject Of Recent Discussion, Emily Turner

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

On Nov. 6 the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Colloquium Series held its second discussion of the fall semester. Dr. Judith Rosenbaum gave the talk titled “#TakingAKnee: Exploring justice, respect, and patriotism on Instagram and Twitter.” Rosenbaum is an assistant professor of communication and journalism at the University of Maine whose research includes social and health effects of media. The theme of this talk surrounded creating meaning on social media platforms. It featured discussion on the hashtag #TakingAKnee and how this social movement has opened a new dialogue nationwide. Rosenbaum recognized that Colin Kaepernick played a large role in initiating …

Mollie Tibbits, Ariana Grande And Serena Williams: Every Woman, M. J. Gautrau

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

I’ve spent the past few weeks fuming at the world’s treatment of women. I’m mad at the people who believe women and men are equal and that there’s no problem here. Over the last few months, we’ve seen very high pro��le news stories of women as scapegoats. It is now our time to see these stories, hear these women and react justly.

Can Tenure Be Abused?, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

In any higher education establishment, academic freedom is of great importance. The security provided to professors by academic tenure ensures that faculty are protected from termination because of their speech, research findings or political reasons. Without this security, academic progress could be stifled. But can this privilege and security be abused?

Serano Hosts Public Talk On “Call-Out Culture, Identity Politics, And Political Correctness”, Ryan Cox

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Dr. Julia Serano held a public talk, entitled “A Social Justice Activist’s Perspective on Call-Out Culture, Identity Politics, and Political Correctness” in the Minsky Recital Hall on March 22, 2018, as part of UMaine’s Women’s History Month celebrations. Serano is a writer, performer, biologist, and transgender and bisexual activist, whose works include “Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity,” “Excluded: Making Feminist and Queer Movements More Inclusive” and most recently “Outspoken: A Decade of Transgender Activism and Trans Feminism.”

Black History Month Kicks Off At Umaine With The Black Lives Matter Flag Raising, Sarah O'Malley

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

As snow fell upon the first day of February, many University of Maine students, faculty and community members congregated between the Memorial Union and Fogler Library in the name of racial justice. Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, marked the start of Black History Month, and the Office of Multicultural Student Life (OMSL) and the Black Student Union (BSU) have partnered to put together an impressive lineup of events spanning the entire month.

Are You Supporting White Supremacy?, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt

Faculty Publications

Dr. Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, professor of English at Linfield College, provides an opinion piece in the form of a checklist of 15 “troubles” she has identified to help others in academe recognize (un)conscious contributions to white supremacy.

This essay originally appeared as part of Conditionally Accepted, a career advice blog for Inside Higher Ed providing news, information, personal stories, and resources for scholars who are, at best, conditionally accepted in academe. Conditionally Accepted is an anti-racist, pro-feminist, pro-queer, anti-transphobic, anti-fatphobic, anti-ableist, anti-ageist, anti-classist, and anti-xenophobic online community.

Distributive Justice And Equity In Grading: A New Instructor’S Reflections, Molly Malany Sayre

Molly Sayre

The author reflects upon early teaching experiences to identify a conflict between minimal distributive justice, or the distribution of goods that ensures all individuals have an acceptable level of that good (Deutsch, 1985), and grading of students’ assignments. Instead of addressing the unequal distribution of college preparedness among her students, the author’s grading reflected and potentially reinforced educational, racial, and economic inequalities. In agreement with Anastas (2010), an ethic of social justice is recommended for use in social work education. Social work educators can provide greater access to resources (e.g., the instructor’s time) for students experiencing disadvantages that affect their …

Rhonda Y. Williams Lecture Poster, University Of Maine Office Of Multiculture Student Life

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Poster for Rhonda Y. Williams', professor of history and director of the Social Justice Institute at Case Western Reserve University Howard B. Schonberger Peace and Social Justice Lecture entitled "Concrete Demands: Black Power Histories and Legacies in the 21st Century". The lecture was held on April 6, 2017.

Do Not Silence People; Debate And Engage Them, Jonathan Petrie

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

During the protests of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, you may have seen Richard Spencer — notable alt-right, white nationalist leader — get punched in the face during an interview. In response, a lot of people shared the video praising the actions of the violent perpetrator, citing Spencer’s racist ideology as a means to justify violence. Here’s the issue. No matter how much you disagree with someone, you do not get to punch them. Violence does not solve this debate.

Bare Minimums In Activism Do Nothing For A Cause, Sam Tracy

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Your safety pins don’t matter. There has been a recent rise in a silent protest to Donald Trump’s racist, xenophobic, sexist and homophobic rhetoric that involve spinning a safety pin onto your shirt. It started off as a gesture of kindness and a message to the marginalized people, saying: “hey, we’re here and we’re not with them. ”By pinning your shirt, you have a quiet way to show you do not support Trump’s harmful messages and you are a safe person to talk with.

Editorial : Decency Must Remain Following A Tumultuous Election, Sarah Allisot

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

There is no doubt that the presidential campaigns this year were equal parts passionate and hateful. News stories have often done little to serve the real issues and insults became a stand-in for policy talk during officiated discussions. Following Election Day, nearly one half of the country is left with feelings of hopelessness, fear and disbelief — none of which are invalid.

Social Justice And The Future Of Higher Education Kinesiology, Brian Culp

Faculty and Research Publications

This article presents a rationale for the infusion of social justice into kinesiology programs for the purpose of reducing inequities in society. Specifically, the current climate for social justice is considered and discussed using examples from an university-inspired service-learning initiative, law, and politics. Of note are the following areas of discussion: (a) differentiation between social diversity and social justice, (b) public pedagogy as a means by which to inspire service action, (c) the creation of climates for speech and application of social justice, (d) modeling and socialization for equity, and (e) the neoliberal threat to inclusiveness. The article concludes with …

Visualizing Abolition: Two Graphic Novels And A Critical Approach To Mass Incarceration For The Composition Classroom, Michael Sutcliffe

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

This article outlines two graphic novels and an accompanying activity designed to unpack complicated intersections between racism, poverty, and (d)evolving criminal-legal policy. Over 2 million adults are held in U.S. prison facilities, and several million more are under custodial supervision, and it has become clearly unsustainable. In the last decade, there has been a shift in media conversations about criminality, yet only a few suggest decreasing our reliance upon incarceration. In meaningfully different ways, the two novels trace the development of incarceration from its roots in slavery to its contemporary anti-democratic iteration and offer an underpublicized alternative.

Critical and community …

Prophetic Imagination: Confronting The New Jim Crow & Income Inequality In America, Cornel West

Engaging Pedagogies in Catholic Higher Education (EPiCHE)

On October 11, 2014, Cornel West delivered the keynote address to nearly 600 students at the regional Leadership & Social Justice Conference, hosted at Saint Mary’s College of California. The conference occurred two days before West was arrested in Ferguson, Missouri, during a demonstration to protest the killing of young Black men by White police officers, as in the case of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson. Speaking of the students, West said, "I would like to see these precious young people commit themselves to lives of integrity, honesty and decency, where they are vigilant against all forms of evil—White supremacists, …